Copenhagen City Breaks

Art and design

Copenhagen has built up a reputation over the past few decades for pioneering European art and design. If you’re visiting for a short break, make sure you find time to sample some of the aesthetic pleasures on show at one of the city’s many galleries and museums. The Statens Museum for Kunst sprawls over two sharply contrasting buildings, a 19^th-century palazzo and a minimalist extension. This contrast features in the collection itself, which encompasses masters such as Breughel and Rembrand alongside modern Danish heavy hitters like Per Kirkeby and Asger Jørn. If you’d rather marvel at industrial design, the Designmuseum Danmark is an excellent place to spend a few hours. Or if history is more your area of interest, the Nationalmuseet has an extensive collection of artefacts dating as far back as the Stone Age.

Mermaids and carnivals

The most photographed monument in Copenhagen is without a doubt the Little Mermaid statue on Langelinje Pier, built in 1909 by sculptor Edvard Eriksen. Further fairytale delights can be found at the Tivoli Gardens, a 19^th-century entertainment centre that includes old-fashioned rollercoasters, vaudeville shows and hundreds of fairy lights after sunset. There’s plenty to do here for both kids and adults alike. If you’re looking for a glimpse of alternative Copenhagen, Freetown Christiania is an area of the city founded in 1971 as a green, car-free neighbourhood, where you’ll find a number of art galleries and music venues.